FS50202116

Decision Summary

• Case Ref: FS50202116
• Date: 14 December 2009
• Public Authority: HM Treasury
• Summary: The complainant submitted a request to HM Treasury for a copy of the ‘Sandstorm Report’ (the report) which was submitted to the Bank of England by Price Waterhouse in 1991. The report addressed allegations of fraudulent activities committed by the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. In responding to the request HM Treasury noted that a significant portion of the report was available on the internet and it therefore considered these parts of the report to be exempt from disclosure by virtue of section 21 of the Act (information reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means). Although the Treasury provided the complainant with some of the parts of the report which were not available on the internet, it argued that the remaining sections were exempt from disclosure on the basis of section 40(2) (personal data) and section 27(1)(a) (international relations). The Commissioner has concluded that HM Treasury was correct to rely on these three exemptions to withhold the remainder of the report although in handling this request it breached a number of procedural requirements of the Act.
• View PDF of Decision Notice: [1]

• Section of Act / Finding: FOI 17 - Complaint Upheld - Find other matching decisions

• Section of Act / Finding: FOI 21 - Complaint Not upheld - Find other matching decisions

• Section of Act / Finding: FOI 27 - Complaint Not upheld - Find other matching decisions

• Section of Act / Finding: FOI 40 - Complaint Not upheld - Find other matching decisions